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Babylon
"Babylon" is the sixth episode of Mad Men, Season 1 and the sixth episode overall. Synopsis A taboo office romance is revealed. At a brainstorming session, Peggy proves to be more than a secretary, opening up new opportunities for her at Sterling Cooper. Meanwhile, Rachel faces her conflicting feelings for Don after he seeks out her advice on a new campaign. Detail Its Mother's Day and Don makes breakfast and puts together a breakfast tray, he grabs the paper and heads up stairs, his foot lands squarely on a Wheel-O toy and he, along with the tray, crash to the ground. Staring at the dining room, Don flashes back to his childhood. His mother Abigail Whitman has just given birth to his half-brother Adam Whitman. A man; later reveled to be Uncle Mack Johnson tells him to come see his brother, reluctant Don inspects the new addition to his family. Betty and the children rush down to help Don up, breaking him out of his daze. That night, the two chat about Joan Crawford, Betty comments that her eyebrows "unnerved her". Betty thinks that her mother aged much better than Crawford, and starts to reminisce how even at an older age, her mother remained handsome, cheerful and vivacious right up up to her end. However Don is not happy with her dour mood, and wishes she wouldn't be so melancholy. She claims that it is part of the mourning process suggested by Dr. Wayne. As they are about to make love, she tears up. "I want you so badly, it scares me," she confesses. She makes a speech how no matter what she encounters during the day, its a "fog" because Don is all she thinks about, Don reassures her that she does in fact "have him", they make love. At Sterling Cooper, Don meets with Nick Rodis and two men from the Israeli Tourism Bureau, Lily Meyer and Yoram Ben Shulhai. Nick, from Olympic Cruise Lines wants Israel to become a tourist destination. Impressed with the previous work Sterling Cooper turned for Rio De Janeiro, they want Israel to be conveyed as "glamorous". Lily begins to cite that she wants America and Israel to unite, as she has the book Exodus by Leon Uris to Don. And when describing the idealistic tourist for Israel, Lily's aim is to reach out to the higher class demographic, namely people like Don and Roger. Roger's wife and 16-year-old daughter Margaret show up at his office waiting for him at his secretary, Ginger's desk. Margaret is planning on getting a haircut and where Mona is optimistic about the trip, Margaret is cynical. Ginger isn't much help citing; "I cut my own hair". Approaching them Joan and Don stop to greet Margaret and Mona, when Margaret flirtatiously greets Don while Mona compliments them on being a "handsome couple". Joan expresses that she "doesn't go for handsome" and offers to set up the appointment for the mother and daughter over lunch. Later, in a hotel room, Roger lays on the bed in boxer shorts and stocking feet complaining about how his daughter has no motivation and has only dated two boys, one of which committed suicide and the other "joined the service". Joan comes out of the bathroom in only a slip. As she puts on her dress, she says he's too hard on her as Roger zips her up. He changes the subject and tells her how happy he is that he met her and that at one point he was considering leaving his wife and wishes he could have her all to himself. He suggest that she buy her own apartment, however Joan is apprehensive to the idea: "I think it would be half as much fun alone". She cites the good times her and her best friend since college, Carol have, "going out, having male friends over" - much to Rogers dismay. Joan suggests that they just enjoy where their relationship is now, because the reality is that Joan is on the look-out for a more "permanent situation" and Roger will eventually find a "new model". At the office, Don, Paul, Sal and Pete work on trying to figure out a way to make Israel exciting for tourists to visit including exploiting the aspect for adventure, due to Israel's dangerous reputation, and marking Israel as "the promised land". They read through stacks of research, The novel, Exodus and the Old Testament. Don makes it clear he does not want religion to play part in the campaign, also commenting: "so, we've got a quasi communist country, where women have guns and it's full of Jews" to reply Sal realizes that the people from Israel are astoundingly good-looking. Later, Don calls Rachel and asks to meet for a drink, for business; rather desperately. She stresses for them to meet for lunch the following day at The Pier tearoom. At home, Don is reading Exodus. Betty notices and confides that the first boy she ever kissed was Jewish. The next morning, Ken and Sal poke into the office of Fred Rumsen, a life-long mid-level copywriter. He'd been clipping ads of Belle Jolie, a lipstick company but is ready to give up on the account. Moments later in the research room, Dr. Greta Guttmanherdsinaline of eager secretaries to test out the lipsticks. On the other side of the two-way mirror, the men enjoy the show, perhaps a little too much. As the girls apply different shades and answer questions, the execs gawk. In an attempt of slight titillation, Joan bends over the table to put out a cigarette; knowing full-well the men of the office are behind the mirror, including Roger. The execs salute Joan's physique as Roger recognizes the libidinous transgression. Meanwhile, Don's at a luncheonette with Rachel. He needs her advice on his Israeli Tourism client. "I'm the only Jew you know in New York City?" she says. When he doesn't relent, she explains that Jews have been living in exile for a long time, first in Babylon and then all over the world. "We've managed to make a go of it," she continues. "It might have something to do with the fact that we thrive at doing business with people who hate us." When Rachel returns to her office, she calls her older sister Barbaratotellhershemetsomeone-- someone their father would hate. Don, still wrapped up in the Israel campaign, gets a visit from Salvatore and Fred, who explains that while at the lipstick brainstorming session, Peggy made quite a revelation: she called a trashcan full of blotted tissues a "basket of kisses." They decide to have her come up with some copy for the campaign. Elsewhere, at a hotel, Roger waits patiently as Joan arrives laye to another rendez-vous. Joan explains that a Media Buyer ambushed her in the elevator, with tickets to the ballet and he insist they share a cab across town. As Roger embraces her Joan notices a bird tweeting. Roger gives Joan a fluttering tiger finch in an ornate birdcage in a flirty attempt to keep her occupied without other men: "I just hate the thought of having to share you". As both Joan and Roger fall onto the bed Roger begins to describe an upcoming weekend away with Mona and his in-laws in Old Saybrooke. Before Roger can resume, Joan stops him and looks at the birdcage. Roger apologizes and covers the birdcage, before they resume on to making love. Across town at Midge's apartment, she and Don -- engaged in quite a tryst -- are interrupted by a knock on the door. It's Roy Hazelittwhoinvitesthemtoseeafriend, Ian, perform at the Gaslight. Midge agrees to go and persuades Don to do the same. When they arrive at the Greenwich Village hotspot, a man is onstage reading the newspaper as performance art. Roy grabs a table and takes the spot next to Midge. Don looks on as they discuss his anti-establishment plans to create a cooperative theater. When Roy finds out Don's in advertising, he asks how he sleeps at night. "On a bed made of money," Don replies. When Ian takes the stage, cradling a mandolin, he sings "By the Waters of Babylon." Cast Main Cast * Jon Hamm as Don Draper *'Elisabeth Moss' as Peggy Olson *'Vincent Kartheiser' as Pete Campbell *'January Jones' as Betty Draper *'Christina Hendricks' as Joan Holloway *'Bryan Batt' as Salvatore Romano *'Michael Gladis' as Paul Kinsey *'Aaron Staton' as Ken Cosgrove *'Rich Sommer' as Harry Crane *'Maggie Siff' as Rachel Menken Guest Starring * Rosemarie DeWitt as Midge Daniels and Special Guest Appearance by * John Slattery as Roger Sterling Also Guest Starring * Talia Balsam as Mona Sterling * Ian Bohen as Roy Hazelitt * Rebecca Creskoff as Barbara Katz * Joel Murray as Fred Rumsen * Elizabeth Rice as Margaret Sterling * Irene Roseen as Lily Meyer Co-Starring * Alexa Alemanni as Allison * George Anthony Alvarez as Waiter * Megan Duffy as Poetry Girl * Jennifer Fitzgerald as Judy * Heather Fox as Ginger * Brynn Horrocks as Abigail * Maxwell Huckabee as Robert Draper * Danny Jacobs as Yoram Ben Shulhai * Brandon Killham as Dick * Bruno Oliver as Nick Rodis * Sarah Jannett Parish as Donna * Gordana Rashovich as Dr. Gretta Guttman * Morgan Rusler as Mack Johnson * Kiernan Shipka as Sally Draper * Hrach Titizian as Hungarian Man Quotes Betty: "It’s all I think about, everyday. Your car, coming down the drive way, I put the kids to bed early. I make a grocery list, I make butterscotch pudding; I never let my hands idol, brushing my hair, drinking my milk. And it’s still a fog because I can’t stop thinking about this. I want you, so badly." Don: "You have me. You do." '- Betty and Don share a candid moment on Mother's Day, Babylon.' Roger: "I'd like to get you a little fourth-floor-walk-up somewhere, with no windows, no doors and lock you up for a week." Joan: "That's tempting, but I like hotels. You leave with what you came in with and little soaps, I love those." Roger: "I wish I new what you wanted Joanie." Joan:'' "I love this Roger, but a week is a considerable length of time and I have my own world. I go out, I have parties and I have friends over."'' Roger: "Male friends." 'Joan': "Yes." Roger: "I don't want to hear this." Joan: "Carol and I have this nice, little rotation." Roger: "Carol the disaster." Joan: "I've know Carol since college and she's been a good friend, And she's bright and she's neat." Roger: "So you'll think you'll be lonely?" Joan: "I think it would be half as much fun, alone." Roger: "You could get a bird, they're fairly neat for animals." Joan:'' "Roger, if you had it your way. I'd stranded in some paper-way with my legs stuck in the air." '''Roger':'' "Wait, you think you're just going to paint that picture and go?"'' '- Roger and Joan rendez-vous during lunch.' Ken: ''"I'd like to stand and salute that."'' '- The man salute to Joan's physique, in Babylon.' Don:'' "Utopia."'' Rachel: "Maybe. They taught us at Barnard about that word. Utopia. The greeks had two meanings for it: 'eu-topos,' meaning 'the good place' and 'ou-topos,' meaning 'the place that cannot be.'" '- A discussion between Don and Rachel.' Category:Season One